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Aghamarshana Suktam Meaning — Line by Line

अघमर्षण सूक्तम्

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Meaning — Line by Line

Every verse of Aghamarshana Suktam with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.

Verse 1#

Ṛtaṃ ca satyaṃ cābhīddhāttapaso'dhyajāyata |

ऋतं च सत्यं चाभीद्धात्तपसोऽध्यजायत । ततो रात्र्यजायत ततः समुद्रो अर्णवः ॥१॥

Ṛtaṃ ca satyaṃ cābhīddhāttapaso'dhyajāyata | tato rātryajāyata tataḥ samudro arṇavaḥ ||1||

MeaningCosmic order (Rita) and Truth (Satya) were born of kindled tapas (the glowing cosmic heat of creative austerity); from that arose the Night, and from that the surging, billowy ocean.

Verse 2#

Samudrādarṇavādadhi saṃvatsaro ajāyata |

समुद्रादर्णवादधि संवत्सरो अजायत । अहोरात्राणि विदधद्विश्वस्य मिषतो वशी ॥२॥

Samudrādarṇavādadhi saṃvatsaro ajāyata | ahorātrāṇi vidadhadviśvasya miṣato vaśī ||2||

MeaningFrom that billowy ocean was born the Year, the Lord who ordains the days and nights, the controller of all that blinks (every living being).

Verse 3#

Sūryācandramasau dhātā yathāpūrvamakalpayat |

सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ धाता यथापूर्वमकल्पयत् । दिवं च पृथिवीं चान्तरिक्षमथो स्वः ॥३॥

Sūryācandramasau dhātā yathāpūrvamakalpayat | divaṃ ca pṛthivīṃ cāntarikṣamatho svaḥ ||3||

MeaningThe Creator (Dhata) fashioned the sun and the moon as in former cycles, and the heaven and the earth, the mid-air and the realm of light beyond.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

ऋतं
ṛtaṃ
Cosmic order, the eternal law and rhythm of the universe
सत्यं
satyaṃ
Truth, the unchanging reality
अभीद्धात्
abhīddhāt
From the blazing (kindled, glowing) one
तपसः अधि अजायत
tapasaḥ adhi ajāyata
Were born out of tapas (cosmic heat, creative austerity)
ततः रात्री अजायत
tataḥ rātrī ajāyata
Thence (from that) was born the Night
समुद्रः अर्णवः
samudraḥ arṇavaḥ
The surging, billowy ocean (the cosmic waters)
समुद्रात् अर्णवात् अधि
samudrāt arṇavāt adhi
Out of that billowy ocean
संवत्सरः अजायत
saṃvatsaraḥ ajāyata
The year (Samvatsara — the unit of time) was born
अहोरात्राणि विदधत्
ahorātrāṇi vidadhat
Ordaining (arranging) the days and nights
विश्वस्य मिषतः वशी
viśvasya miṣataḥ vaśī
The Lord and controller of all that blinks (all living, perceiving beings)
सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ
sūryācandramasau
The sun and the moon
धाता
dhātā
Dhata, the Creator, the divine Ordainer
यथापूर्वम् अकल्पयत्
yathāpūrvam akalpayat
Fashioned (them) as before, as in former cycles of creation
दिवं च पृथिवीं च
divaṃ ca pṛthivīṃ ca
The heaven and the earth
अन्तरिक्षम्
antarikṣam
The mid-region, the atmosphere (the space between)
अथो स्वः
atho svaḥ
And also Svah — the realm of light, the heavenly world

Origin & History

Source: Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 190)

Author: Rishi Aghamarshana Madhucchandasa

Period: Vedic period (c. 1500-1000 BCE)

The Aghamarshana Suktam stands near the very end of the Rigveda and is traditionally ascribed to the seer Aghamarshana, son of Madhucchandas. Though only three verses long, it is one of the Veda's great cosmogonic hymns, tracing how cosmic order and truth, the night, the cosmic ocean, time, the luminaries and the worlds came forth in sequence from primordial tapas. From its content and its seer's name it acquired its role as the supreme 'sin-effacing' mantra: in the Sandhyavandana an entire rite — the Aghamarshana — is built around it, in which the worshipper, holding water and meditating on the cosmic law, casts off impurity. It thus unites profound cosmology with daily practical purification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Aghamarshana Suktam?▼
It is a short hymn of three verses from the Rigveda (Mandala 10, Sukta 190) describing the creation of the cosmos out of primordial tapas. Its name means 'effacer of sin', and it is one of the foremost purificatory mantras of the Veda, recited especially during Sandhyavandana and ritual bathing.
Why is it called 'Aghamarshana'?▼
'Agha' means sin or impurity, and 'marshana' means rubbing away or effacing. The hymn is so called because its recitation, while meditating on the cosmic order and truth it describes, is traditionally held to wash away sins. The Aghamarshana rite uses it together with water as a symbolic act of purification.
What does the hymn actually describe?▼
It describes the orderly birth of the universe: from kindled tapas arose cosmic order (Rita) and truth (Satya), then night and the cosmic ocean; from the ocean came the year and the cycle of day and night; and the Creator then fashioned the sun, moon, heaven, earth, atmosphere and the heavenly world, as in earlier cycles of creation.
When and how is it recited?▼
It is recited daily during the morning and evening Sandhyavandana, during ritual bathing in sacred rivers, and as a prayascitta (expiation). In the Aghamarshana rite one holds water in the palms, recites the verses, and pours the water away to signify the removal of sin.

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